Golden Opportunities

Crave a cup of coffee? Gotta have a cup of Joe on the go? Feel guilty no more! That caffeine start could start your health on the right course. Kris Voight has poured over the research and she’s here to spill the beans on coffee’s health benefits. Kris is a registered dietician with Kaiser Permanente.

Question:How did coffee become our morning liquid gold?

Answer: Legend has it that a few thousand years ago coffee was discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder. He saw his goats eating these berries and found they were much livelier afterwards. Inside the berries were coffee beans. Now, here we are today, consuming 400 billion cups each year and studying coffee for more than a century.

Question:Besides helping us wake up, what health benefits does the caffeine in coffee awaken in us?

Answer: One thing we know is that the caffeine reduces the risk of stroke. It reduces inflammation in the artery wall. Inflammation causes place to “explode” away from the wall and travel through the blood. It can get lodged and create blockages which can be fatal.
The other big news is coffee reduces the risk of Type II Diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
We also know that coffee is a great source of antioxidants, which lowers your risk of colorectal and endometrial cancer.
It also lessens pain after exercise.
And they’re also seeing evidence that coffee could prevent dental cavities!

Question:With all these health benefits, should we drink up?

Answer: Only in moderation. They discovered in retrospective studies – looking at folks who, over the years, drank moderate cups of coffee – about 5 cups a day - versus folks who drank more – that no more than five cups seems to be the key.
More than six cups can increase the risk for a. bladder cancer, especially in men, bone loss – which women especially need to be careful of.
It can increase blood pressure – especially if you already have high blood pressure or are borderline for developing it. And, really, moderate consumption is one to two cups per day.

Question:Gee, I'm a little "tea-ed" off because I don't like coffee. Should I start drinking those fancy mochas and lattes to get the benefits? Or can I stick to my tea?

Answer: Just know that stronger coffee has more caffeine. A regular cup of coffee has about 85 mg. of caffeine. A cup from a coffee house could have between 75-180 mg., depending on how much is added to it. The more it’s diluted with creamers and flavorings, the lower the caffeine.
Also, while an 8 ounce cup of coffee has two calories, adding sugar, cream and lots of toppings or add-ins can really add up – up to 500-600 calories – and that’s not even a large size!

Thanks a “latte” to Kris for serving up such beneficial information about beans.